States debate daylight saving time
As much of the nation readies for the beginning of daylight saving time on Sunday, March 13, the annual practice of time changes continues to be a topic of discussion at statehouses around the country. Federal efforts in the U.S. House and Senate would end the practice of changing clocks in the spring and fall.
Elected officials from both sides of the aisle have expressed support for abandoning twice-annual time changes. Among the reasons given by government officials for taking action on the issue is traffic safety.
Out-dated tradition?
Federal law does not require states to observe daylight saving time, but if they choose to follow the time change they must adhere to the dates set.
The U.S. Department of Transportation states that daylight saving time is observed because it saves energy, saves lives and prevents traffic injuries, and reduces crime.
Critics counter the time changes may have been useful for some during a bygone era but it provides little if any real benefit.
Among the factors cited for doing away with time changes is vehicle crashes.
State legislatures take action
Since 2018, elected officials in the majority of statehouses annually have at least discussed legislation to end the observance of time changes. During that time, 18 states have acted on the issue.
So far this legislative session nearly 70 measures in at least 28 states have been offered on the topic.
Federal law allows a state to exempt itself from observing daylight saving time. Arizona and Hawaii are the lone states to take advantage of the exemption. The feds, however, do not allow states to stay on daylight time throughout the year. Instead, Congress must sign-off on granting states the privilege.
Florida lawmakers got the ball rolling on the issue in 2018 when the legislature acted to adopt year-round daylight saving time.
One year ago, Alabama, Georgia, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi and Montana enacted legislation. Others states to take action are Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and Wyoming.
Despite their interest in making the change, the states must wait for Congress to take action.
In 2015, the Nevada Senate adopted a resolution to encourage the feds to take action on the issue. Over the past four years, legislatures in Arkansas, Oregon and Utah have done the same.
2022 daylight saving time legislation
Legislative efforts from New Hampshire to Alaska are divided between states with legislation to keep daylight saving time year-round and others to abandon observance of the spring time change. Some states have legislation on both sides of the issue.
Most states that continue to address the issue are pursuing legislation to adopt daylight saving time year-round. States with legislation to stay on daylight time year-round: Alaska, California, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah.
States with legislation to stay on standard time throughout the year have been offered in Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
The Massachusetts bill would convert the state to Atlantic Standard Time all year. As a result, the state would eliminate daylight time.
In sync
Concern about being out of sync in time recognition with nearby states is covered in multiple pieces of legislation around the country.
Bills to adopt year-long daylight time as long as at least one other adjacent state takes the same action are in the following statehouses: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, and Vermont.
Legislation in New York and Oklahoma would do away with daylight saving time once at least one neighboring state does the same.
Input from voters
Legislation in at least four states would leave it up to voters which way to go on the issue.
One California bill pursues recognition of daylight saving time throughout the year.
In 2018, California voters approved doing away with time changes in the state.
Proposition 7 authorized the Legislature to take action to eliminate the time switch and potentially make the move to daylight saving time all year. A two-thirds vote of state lawmakers in support is required.
Federal authorization would be the next phase necessary to make the change. Once fulfilled, California voters would make the final decision.
Another Oklahoma bill would leave it up to voters to decide whether to switch to year-round standard time.
A Colorado bill would also allow voters to make the decision on whether to keep the state on standard time throughout the year.
Multiple Georgia bills seek voter input. A Georgia House bill would ask voters whether to switch to year-round daylight time. A Senate bill would ask voters a nonbinding question about their preference for yearlong daylight time or standard time.
Bipartisan efforts call for federal action
In Congress, one panel heard debate this week on whether or not to continue the twice annual time changes.
Testimony provided to the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on consumer protection shows that nearly three-quarters of all Americans want to do away with time changes. The large majority of Americans wanting to keep clocks the same prefer staying on daylight saving time.
Following the hearing, Committee Chair Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., sent a request to the U.S. Department of Transportation asking for an analysis of the effects of changing clocks. The U.S. DOT’s Office of Inspector General shortly thereafter announced an audit would begin immediately.
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., have taken action to address the issue. They are among a group of lawmakers from both parties who are behind the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 to recognize daylight saving time all year for the entire country.
“The call to end the antiquated practice of clock changing is gaining momentum throughout the nation,” Rubio said in a previous statement on the legislation.
Among the factors in their pursuit of the change is the benefit it would have for the economy. LL
More state trends
Keith Goble, state legislative editor for Land Line Media, keeps track of many trends among statehouses across the U.S. Here are some recent articles by him.
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